Our Third Party Notification service allows you to name a friend or relative to receive duplicate copies of past due payment notices. The designated person is not responsible for paying the bill, but can contact Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) to help resolve the issue. Visit www.pge.com/thirdpartynotification or call 1-800-743-5000 for more information.

Get more baseline energy at the lowest price for qualified PG&E residential customers. To qualify for Medical Baseline, a California-licensed physician must certify that you or a full-time resident in your home is:

A person being treated for a life-threatening illness or compromised immune system with special heating and/or cooling requirements to sustain the patient’s life or prevent deterioration of the patient’s medical condition

At PG&E, we understand these are challenging economic times. With PG&E's Breathe Easy Solutions™, we'll help you manage your energy costs—which can be helpful when there is an unexpected change in your financial situation. Together, we can find solutions.

California Alternate Rates for Energy (CARE) Program provides a monthly discount on electric bills for income-qualified households. Learn more or download the CARE application .

Family Electric Rate Assistance (FERA) Program provides a monthly discount on the electric bills for income-qualified households of three or more. Learn more or download FERA application .

The Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986, commonly referred to as Proposition 65, requires the governor to publish a list of chemicals “known to the State of California” to cause cancer, birth defects or other reproductive harm. It also requires California businesses to warn the public quarterly of potential exposures to these chemicals that result from their operations.

Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) uses chemicals in our operations that are “known to the State of California” to cause cancer, birth defects or other reproductive harm.

For example, PG&E uses natural gas and petroleum products in our operations. PG&E also delivers natural gas to our customers. Petroleum products, natural gas and their combustion by-products contain chemicals “known to the State of California” to cause cancer, birth defects or other reproductive harm.

Spot the signs of trouble

PG&E regularly inspects all of our pipelines to check for possible leaks or other signs of damage. As an additional safety precaution, we also add a sulfur-like odor to natural gas. If you smell this distinctive “rotten egg” odor, move to a safe location and immediately call 911 and PG&E at 1-800-743-5000.

But don’t rely on your nose alone. Other signs of a possible gas leak can include dirt spraying into the air, continual bubbling in a pond or creek and dead or dying vegetation in an otherwise moist area. And always pay attention to hissing, whistling or roaring sounds coming from underground.

On May 31, 2013, Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) filed an application with the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) to request an increase of $993 million in electric generation rates effective, January 1, 2014.

Every year, PG&E is required to estimate how much it will cost to purchase energy to meet its customers’ electricity needs. The cost includes purchases of energy from hydroelectric, solar and other renewable sources. For 2014, PG&E estimates that the cost to purchase electric generation will be $5.3 billion. In November 2013, PG&E will update this estimate. If the CPUC approves the request, PG&E will begin to recover its energy purchase costs through generation rates starting in 2014. PG&E does not profit from energy purchases; the cost of energy purchases is passed directly through to customers.

Throughout 2014, PG&E will track its actual costs to purchase energy against the amount collected from customers to cover those costs. At the end of the year, PG&E will increase or decrease generation rates to reflect any difference between the actual costs and the revenues collected from customers.

How will PG&E’s application affect me?This application primarily affects electric generation revenues and rates. Most of PG&E’s customers receive bundled service, meaning they receive electric generation as well as transmission and distribution service from PG&E. This application impacts only the generation portion of electric rates.

If PG&E’s request is approved, the average residential monthly bill (based on 550 kilowatt-hours monthly electricity usage) will increase by $5.25 a month—or 5.7 percent, from $92.70 to $97.95. Actual bill impacts will vary depending on your level of electricity usage. The chart below shows the impact of this application on total authorized electric revenues for bundled customers. (Note: the percentages in the chart represent increases in revenue requested, not bill impact.)

How will PG&E’s application affect non-bundled customers?Direct Access (DA) and Community Choice Aggregation (CCA) customers receive only transmission and distribution service from PG&E. Since they do not receive electric generation from PG&E, their generation rates will not be affected by PG&E’s proposed change in generation rates. However, DA and CCA customers are required to pay certain procurement-related charges. The impact of PG&E’s application on DA and CCA customers is $49 million, or an average increase of 7.9 percent. This increase is in addition to any charges that DA and CCA customers pay to the companies that provide their electricity.

Another category of non-bundled customers are “departing load” customers: they do not receive electric generation, transmission or distribution services from PG&E. However, like DA and CCA customers, they are required to pay certain charges. The impact of PG&E’s application on departing load customers is $2.4 million, or an average increase of 7.2 percent.

How do I find out more about PG&E’s application?You can view PG&E’s application and exhibits online at www.pge.com/RegCases. Select “2014 ERRA Forecast” from the Cases dropdown menu.

If you have questions about PG&E’s application, please contact PG&E at 1-800-743-5000. For TDD/TTY (speech-hearing impaired), call 1-800-652-4712.

If you would like a copy of PG&E’s application and exhibits, please write to PG&E at: Pacific Gas and Electric Company2014 ERRA Forecast ApplicationP.O. Box 7442San Francisco, CA 94120

A copy of PG&E’s application and exhibits are also available for review at the CPUC, 505 Van Ness Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94102, Monday–Friday, 8 a.m.–noon. PG&E’s application (without exhibits) is available on the CPUC’s website at www.cpuc.ca.gov/puc.

How does the CPUC’s decision making process work?The CPUC’s Division of Ratepayer Advocates (DRA) will review this application. The DRA is an independent arm of the CPUC, created by the California Legislature to represent the interests of all utility customers throughout the state, and to obtain the lowest possible rate for service that is consistent with reliable and safe service levels. The DRA has a multi-disciplinary staff with expertise in economics, finance, accounting and engineering. The DRA’s views do not necessarily reflect those of the CPUC. Other parties of record may also participate.

The CPUC may hold evidentiary hearings where parties of record present their proposals in testimony and are subject to cross-examination before an Administrative Law Judge (ALJ). These hearings are open to the public, but only those who are parties of record may present evidence or cross-examine witnesses during evidentiary hearings. Members of the public may attend, but not participate in, these hearings.

After considering all proposals and evidence presented during the hearing process, the ALJ will issue a draft decision. When the CPUC acts on this application, it may adopt all or part of PG&E’s request, amend or modify it, or deny the application. The CPUC’s final decision may be different from PG&E’s application.

If you are writing or emailing the Public Advisor’s Office, please include the application number (A.13-05-015). All comments will be circulated to the Commissioners, the assigned Administrative Law Judge and the CPUC staff.

On July 1, 2013, Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) submitted an application to the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) to collect $6.4 million from PG&E customers over the period 2014–16 to cover costs associated with PG&E’s recent purchase of the Hercules Municipal Utility (HMU) assets. HMU is a municipal electric utility that has been owned and operated by the city of Hercules since March 2003. Once the purchase is complete, PG&E intends to provide electric service to all customers formerly served by HMU.

How will PG&E’s application affect me?

PG&E’s electric revenue requirements will increase by $3.4 million in 2014; however, the purchase of HMU’s assets is expected to generate $1.6 million in benefits, reducing the net increase to $1.8 million in the first year of the acquisition. Even without the expected benefits, this increase is less than one percent of PG&E’s total revenues. Initially, system average bundled rates will increase 0.025 percent. This is expected to have a negligible impact on bills; a residential customer who uses 550kWh a month will see an increase of less than three cents a month (individual customer bills may vary).

If you have questions about PG&E’s application, please contact PG&E at 1-800-743-5000. For TDD/TTY (speech-hearing impaired), call 1-800-652-4712.

If you would like a copy of PG&E’s application and exhibits, please write to PG&E at the address below:

Pacific Gas and Electric Company

HMU Application

P.O. Box 7442

San Francisco, CA 94120

A copy of PG&E’s application and exhibits are also available for review at the CPUC, 505 Van Ness Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94102, Monday–Friday, 8 a.m.–noon. PG&E’s application (without exhibits) is available on the CPUC’s website at www.cpuc.ca.gov/puc.

How does the CPUC’s decision making process work?

The application will be reviewed through the CPUC formal administrative law process. The application will be assigned to a CPUC Administrative Law Judge (ALJ). The ALJ presides over the proceeding, which develops a formal record that the ALJ relies upon in drafting a Decision to present to the five-member Commission. The CPUC’s Division of Ratepayer Advocates (DRA) will review this application and participate in the proceeding. The DRA is an independent arm of the CPUC, which represents the interests of all utility customers. The DRA’s views do not necessarily reflect those of the CPUC. Other parties of record may also participate.

Evidentiary hearings are often held in a proceeding to give parties of record an opportunity to present evidence or cross-examine witnesses. Members of the public may attend but not participate in these hearings.

After considering all proposals and evidence presented, the ALJ will issue a draft decision based upon the established record. When the CPUC acts on this application, it may adopt all or part of PG&E’s request, amend or modify it or deny the application.

If you would like to follow this proceeding or any other issue before the CPUC, you may utilize the CPUC’s free and confidential subscription service. Sign up at: subscribecpuc.cpuc.ca.gov/ <make live: http://subscribecpuc.cpuc.ca.gov/fpss/>

If you are writing or emailing the Public Advisor’s Office, please include the application number (A.13-07-001). All comments will be circulated to the Commissioners, the assigned ALJ and the CPUC staff.